What is considered a "low quality oil"?

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One of the FAQs on Royal Purple's website...

http://www.royalpurple.com/faqs-motor-oil.html

How often should I change Royal Purple in my passenger car?

Royal Purple recommends following the manufacturer’s maintenance intervals while the vehicle is under factory warranty. In clean engines that are no longer under warranty, oil change intervals may be extended up to every 12,000 miles or annually, whichever comes first. Oil filter changes should be done as recommended by the filter’s manufacturer and oil should be topped off as needed.

In dirty engines, Royal Purple recommends the standard 3,000 to 5,000 mile oil and filter change interval until the engine oiling system is clean and free of deposits left by lower quality oils and / or poor maintenance or mechanical problems. This will allow time to gradually remove existing deposits without overloading the oiling system. Mechanical problems such as fuel dilution, coolant leaks into the crankcase, poor air filtration and / or failure to maintain proper oil level are all detrimental factors to the service life of any engine oil. Any one of these factors can significantly shorten the useful service life of any oil.

My questions are...

Are there low quality oils out there on the market that are so bad that it wouldnt be recommended?
 
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my guess would be something sold at a gas station or dollar store called golden state or something that has no rating whatsoever..... I would only use it in an emergency such as you are traveling in the middle of nowhere, and you stop for gas and an oil check reveals a low level and nothing is available---but being on BITOG, you probably have oil in your trunk he he he
 
The more time I spend here, the more I realize the best you can do is judge an oil by it's specs. So, outdated spec oil would be the obvious target. fwiw, what RP says means not a bag of beans.
 
The Accel [censored] at WalMart. 10W40 "SF" specification and SAE30 "SA." After they are obsoleted old specs are unlicencable. So, really no guarantee SF meets...SF.
 
They didn't say "low quality oil" they said "lower quality oils" which means lower in quality than RP. That would be any conventional oil (which is lower in quality than a synthetic and that will likely leave some deposits in your engine)..
 
Many bargain basement oils would have a weak additive package compared to many of the good oils you see here in the VOA and UOA
section.

If an oil meets the specs it meets the specs but other oils meet and exceed the specs.
 
I recall reading something along these lines on this site (I can't remember exactly): The API sets a standard, API SM for example. There is a minumum requirement the oil has to meet to get the approval. So we can have an oil that met the grade with lets say an "A", and another oil meet the requirement with a "D+", where "D" is a passing grade. I guess RP is referring to anything below a "B"? It's a same these requirements aren't spelled out and the actual score the oil got is clearly stated. Then we wouldn't be spending as much time on this site, and we'd have less spirited discussions.
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The newer ratings don't always meet better than the previous rating. Many consider SL to be superior to SM because of higher levels of antiwear agents.
 
Originally Posted By: wannafbody
The newer ratings don't always meet better than the previous rating. Many consider SL to be superior to SM because of higher levels of antiwear agents.



True which is why the new GF-5 SN oils might not be as good as a lot of people think they're going to be. I keep adding to my stash since my ride is older.
 
Originally Posted By: wannafbody
The newer ratings don't always meet better than the previous rating. Many consider SL to be superior to SM because of higher levels of antiwear agents.


Hmmm.... Now I am curious. If oils are supposedly evolving and improving with each lettered generation, what advantages (if any) does a SM have over a SL?
 
Originally Posted By: Mark888
They didn't say "low quality oil" they said "lower quality oils" which means lower in quality than RP.


I don't think such an oil exists! Sorry, couldn't resist saying that!


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Less additives that might hurt the converter. Somewhere along the line the EPA mandated longer converter life even if the car was an oil huffer. I believe that the standard now is up to a quart of oil every 1000 miles is considered ok. Heck it might even be less than that.
 
I think this is more legal wording than anything else to protect them. Say Joe consumer that normally doesn't change his oil often enough and uses an oil that is your basic run of the mill bulk and a lower quality filter and has built up a bit of residue in his engine.

Then Joe gets smart and decides that he wants to start getting the most out of his engine and buys some RP. He puts it in and it caused the engine to release all kinds of residue which clogs up the filter and/or oil passage ways in the engine in the first couple thousand miles... Doing an extended OCI will kill the engine because eventually it won't be able to circulate fresh filtered oil anymore because the filter is clogged and running on bypass and/or the passages are clogged not allowing circulation.

If RP said on their website that anyone could go for an extended drain interval without knowing the engine condition and it caused a failure then they would be liable.

So they make it sound as though it can do the E-OCI's under nominal conditions to protect their name and the moron Joe consumers.

Joe would be the first to launch a lawsuit aimed at RP or anyone else that claims E-OCI's even though it's really his own fault.

STUPID JOE!
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Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: Mark888
They didn't say "low quality oil" they said "lower quality oils" which means lower in quality than RP.


I don't think such an oil exists! Sorry, couldn't resist saying that!


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lemme rephrase it then....is there an oil out there that is a "lower quality oil that leaves deposits?"
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Mark888 said:
They didn't say "low quality oil" they said "lower quality oils" which means lower in quality than RP.


I don't think such an oil exists! Sorry, couldn't resist saying that!


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YOU BEAT ME TO IT!!!
 
What is considered a "low quality oil"?

i would say my Dollar store's $1 no name brand oil that the only thing on the lable is "10w30" oil,i woudn't use it in my oiling can,but hey thats me. :)
 
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